26 Aug 2025
With heatwaves occurring more frequently, employers and employees alike are talking more about the subject. Alexandra Farmer, head of team and a solicitor at WorkNest, looks at employee rights and employer obligations when temperatures at work become an issue.
Alexandra Farmer
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Image: Yakobchuk Olena / Adobe Stock
Surprisingly, no law for minimum or maximum working temperatures exists in the UK.
From a health and safety perspective, employers are required to ensure that temperatures in all workplaces inside buildings are reasonable1.
Guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive advises that temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16°C or at least 13°C where work involves rigorous physical effort2. However, no guidance exists on the upper end of the scale.
In the summer of 2022, unions and a number of MPs called on the then-government to set a maximum workplace temperature. We have seen similar calls previously, such as in 2013, but, to date, no formal moves appear to have been made towards the introduction of a maximum temperature.
People usually work best at temperatures between 16°C and 24°C, although this varies depending on the type of work. For example, strenuous work is better performed at slightly lower temperatures than office work.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers recommends the following temperatures:
Temperatures that vary too much from this can become a health and safety issue. Workers who get too hot could experience dizziness, fainting, or even heat cramps. In very hot conditions, a person’s blood temperature rises – if it exceeds 39°C, a risk of heat stroke or collapse exists. Delirium or confusion may occur above 41°C, and blood temperatures at this level can prove fatal.
But even on the lower end of hot temperatures, heat leads to a loss of concentration and increased tiredness, which means workers are more likely to put themselves and others at risk. Working in the sun also increases the risk of skin cancer. Therefore, employers have a duty of care to ensure no one works in unsafe or unhealthy conditions, including cold weather.
Workplace temperature is just one consideration when an employer undertakes a risk assessment. From time to time, if the employer identifies some particular hazards with the temperature (for example, an upcoming heatwave or cold spell), they should consider how this can best be managed in the workplace. They should discuss proposals with their employees such as a temporary relaxation of dress code, something that is a common way to manage a heatwave.
If employees feel that the temperature at work is not “reasonable”, they should raise it with their employer; they may have general concerns about the temperature or an individual issue.
Temperature may be a bigger issue for an employee with a medical condition; by way of example, employees experiencing menopause symptoms will often report having hot flushes and may look to their employer for support. Alternatively, an employee with a chronic chest condition may struggle when temperatures drop and they feel too cold.
If aware of an employee’s medical condition, an employer should carry out risk assessments to identify and address any specific risks to their health. This may result in physical adjustments being put in place, such as temperature control or providing an electric fan.
If an employee does not feel appropriately supported in the workplace, a number of potential claims could be brought in an employment tribunal, including a claim for constructive unfair dismissal. This occurs when the employee resigns in response to conduct by their employer that they believe amounts to a repudiatory breach of contract. Or, they could bring a claim due to a failure to make reasonable adjustments to support a disabled person in the workplace.
Furthermore, a failure by the employer to adequately address the risks presented by workplace temperature, of which results in an injury, may lead to a claim for compensation owing to the employer’s failure to fulfil its duty of care.
Accordingly, the employer must take extra precautions to keep the employee safe from harm, and these responsibilities cover where and when the work is carried out, the clothes and equipment provided to the employee and the training given in advance.
Lastly, temperature can also be an issue before employees even get to work. As a result of climate change, we are seeing more extreme weather in the UK. This may lead to employees feeling unable (or possibly even unwilling) to attend work.
The advice to employers is to have an adverse weather and travel disruption policy that sets out what happens if an employee cannot make it into work because of extreme weather. This should include other reasons for non-attendance, such as public transport strikes.
The starting position is that employees should make reasonable efforts to get into work, failing which they may be subject to disciplinary action. Where this is not possible, alternative working arrangements may need to be considered. Employers should ensure that the policy details options such as working from home and changes to working patterns.
Like it or not, our climate is changing. Regardless, though, it is a fact that employees work best and are more productive when comfortable.
So, keeping temperatures at the right level is not an expense – it is an investment.
